Barack Obama

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Oops: Obama Misspells Aretha's 'R-E-S-P-E-C-T'

Franklin performs at 'Women of Soul' White House event

(Newser) - President Obama botched a very popular song lyric—and one that's pretty easy to remember if you know how to spell—last night at the White House's "Women of Soul" performance, the AP reports. "When Aretha [Franklin] first told us what R-S-P-E-C-T meant to her,"...

How Dare We Rail on Russia for Foreign Intervention?

Eugene Robinson on the United States' shaky moral high-ground

(Newser) - Russia is way out of line. How dare a large military power cook up a pretext to invade a smaller, weaker nation? "Is it just me, or does the rhetoric about the crisis in Ukraine sound as if all of Washington is suffering from amnesia?" asks Eugene Robinson at...

Obama Budget Looks to Expand Tax Breaks for Poor

Budget also calls for drastic shift in military footing

(Newser) - President Obama will release his annual budget blueprint today, and it's widely expected to go precisely nowhere in Congress. "It's designed primarily as an appeal to his Democratic base," writes Darren Samuelsohn at Politico . But the New York Times notes that Obama is using the opportunity...

Why Obama Is First President to Admit, 'I Got High'

It's part of his first tangible move as president to help young black men

(Newser) - In announcing his My Brother's Keeper initiative yesterday to help the nation's young black men, President Obama became the first president to publicly utter the phrase, "I got high," notes an analysis in the Washington Post . Why? Obama wanted to remind the teens behind him at...

US' New Afghanistan Plan: Forget Karzai

Military revising exit plan to give Obama room to negotiate with the next guy

(Newser) - The US military is changing its Afghan exit strategy to give President Obama a chance to negotiate a security deal with whoever succeeds Hamid Karzai, the Wall Street Journal reports. Obama is increasingly frustrated with Karzai, with whom he pointedly hasn't spoken since last summer. "If he's...

6 State of the Union Takeaways
 6 State of the Union Takeaways 
Analysis
Jan 29, 2014 7:39 AM CST

6 State of the Union Takeaways

Obama combative, but makes some peace offerings

(Newser) - Another State of the Union address is in the books, and you know what that means: Time for pundits to assemble random observations and analysis into "takeaway" lists! Here are some of our favorite reactions this morning:
  • The Boehner Card: How do you get Republicans to applaud? Flatter them.
...

Obama, Make These 5 Tweaks to SOTU

Ian Bassin lists 5 'bold' moves president could make at State of the Union

(Newser) - President Obama will announce a number of executive actions at tonight's State of the Union Address—but though the writing and planning of the speech likely started months ago, there are probably a number of aides considering last-minute additions even now. Ian Bassin should know: He used to be...

Obama Raising Minimum Wage for Federal Contractors

From $7.25 to $10.10, via executive order

(Newser) - Some federal contract workers will soon be making $10.10 per hour, up from $7.25, thanks to an executive action to be signed by President Obama. The move could eventually affect more than 2 million employees, but Obama's long-term goal is to increase the minimum wage across the...

At 5 Years, US Thinks Obama's a Great Guy, Meh Prez

Public also unhappy with our system of government

(Newser) - Americans like Barack Obama—they're just not totally sold on President Obama. In a new AP-GfK poll , less than a third of respondents said Obama had been an above-average president, even though 58% found him likeable. "He would probably be a guy I would like to hang out...

Obamas Celebrate MLK Day at Soup Kitchen

President proves he is not good at identifying taco meat

(Newser) - Barack Obama is honoring Martin Luther King Jr.'s legacy of service by helping a soup kitchen prepare its daily meals. Obama took Michelle, Sasha, and Malia to DC Central Kitchen, which is a few minutes away from the White House by presidential motorcade. They joined an assembly line...

Here&#39;s How Obama Will Change NSA Phone Program
Obama: I Don't Want the
NSA Holding Phone Data
UPDATED
Jan 17, 2014 11:29 AM CST

Obama: I Don't Want the NSA Holding Phone Data

This morning's speech calls for private entity to hold metadata

(Newser) - President Obama today introduced a host of reforms to the NSA's surveillance programs, including ending the NSA's telephone metadata collection program "as it currently exists." In a speech today, Obama argued that the government shouldn't hold onto that phone data; he's asking Eric Holder,...

There's a Secret Provision in Congress' Spending Bill

It would kill Obama's plans to take the drone program out of CIA hands

(Newser) - Congress' $1.1 trillion spending bill contains a secret provision torpedoing President Obama's plans to pass the drone program from the CIA to the Pentagon. In a classified annex, the bill specifically prohibits any funds being used to facilitate such a transfer, the Washington Post reports. Obama wants to...

LA's Most Destitute Pockets Reborn as 'Promise Zones'

As are parts of San Antonio, Philadelphia, Kentucky, Oklahoma

(Newser) - A large part of Los Angeles is being named a "Promise Zone" today by the White House, making the poverty-stricken areas included in the zone eligible for as much as $500 million in federal aid over the next decade. The Promise Zone touches five communities: Pico-Union, Westlake, Koreatown, East...

Dems Raising a Ruckus Over Jobless Benefits

President Obama plans to keep issue in the news

(Newser) - President Obama plans to climb the bully pulpit this week and hammer Congress—but really, just congressional Republicans—for failing to extend long-term unemployment benefits. The White House has concocted a plan to keep the issue in the news on a daily basis, Politico reports. Tomorrow, Obama will invite a...

Obama, It's Time to Pardon More Regularly

No more last-minute or Christmas pardons: PS Ruckman Jr.

(Newser) - President Obama is "one of the least merciful presidents in the history of the United States," writes PS Ruckman Jr. for CNN . He's so far granted just 52 pardons, which puts him ahead of the first two US presidents (one of whom only served one term), a...

Obama, Clinton Keep 'Most Admired' Crowns

Though Obama's number has declined substantially

(Newser) - President Obama and Hillary Clinton may still be the most admired man and woman in America, respectively, but 2013 took a huge chunk out of the public's esteem for both of them, a new Gallup poll suggests. Obama won by a huge margin, with 16% of respondents naming him...

Obama &#39;Wins&#39; Lie of the Year
 Obama 'Wins' Lie of the Year 
Dec 13, 2013 8:41 AM CST

Obama 'Wins' Lie of the Year

'If you like your plan...' and ensuing prevaricating, take PolitiFact's top honors

(Newser) - "If you like your health care plan, you can keep it." Barack Obama has been raked over the coals for that one in recent months, and now he's getting, umm, honored for it: PolitiFact has awarded the phrase its Lie of the Year Award, it announced on...

Obama Task Force Leak: Get Leash on NSA

They want public defenders to argue for the spied upon

(Newser) - A presidential task force plans to call for sweeping changes to the way the NSA does business, including steps to make it more transparent and to increase White House oversight, according to reports today in the New York Times and Wall Street Journal . The panel of five intelligence and legal...

Fast Food Strikes Return as Wage Debate Looms

Obama speaks up in favor of minimum wage hike

(Newser) - Fast food workers in 100 cities will walk off the job today, and protesters will show up in 100 more to call for drastically higher wages for the nation's lowest-paid workers. The movement started with a small strike in New York City last year, and has ballooned since, with...

Barack Obama's Retirement Plan: Host SportsCenter

President has ESPN ambitions

(Newser) - So what are President Obama's plans after he exits the White House? Before he gave a recent speech at DreamWorks Animation, Obama told a bunch of entertainment bigshots at a briefing: "At least I know what I want to do when I retire … host ESPN SportsCenter's...

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